This is my first post here, and thus I'm not quite sure if this is where to put it... but, It seems best considering what I'm asking.
I have an old Murray 10 Speed (53-39 Crank, 14-28 [I think] Freewheel). It's a steel frame with a 1-piece crank (which squeaks), no derailleur hangers (they mount via a screw and the pressure of the axle). The back wheel is out of true, the brakes don't work too well (well, the front does, but squeaks pretty bad some times) and uses 26 x 1 3/8" Tires. It also has tension shifters, hand-me-down (from another bike) Shimano derailleurs (They're SIS's from a mountain bike I bought from Wal-mart when I was like 10 or 11 - I'm 19 now). When I got it it was kind of rusty, well, everything but the frame was. I've since cleaned it up and have been riding it (obviously since I said all the problems) mostly as a commuter bike (about a mile each way, although that will soon be cranked up to about 4 each way with a nice amount of hills), but, have ridden it recreationally for lengths of about 8-17 miles.
But, I've recently come to the conclusion that I want, and need a commuter bike with racks and more robust gearing considering that I sometimes shop before I come home, and I may not always go straight home and need higher (or lower) gearing than I have. I've looked at a few models from Specialized (Globe City, Globe Centrum Comp), Novara (Randoneer), and even as a whim Peter White (<a href="http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/tout-terrain.asp">Tout Terrain Silkroad</a>) as well as a few others. While I could probably afford one of those if I really wanted to, I still come back to the fact that I both have a bike I once rebuilt and a bike (the same) that I could probably turn into a great one.
So I ask you all... What do you think I could do to do this?
I've found an adapter by TruVativ that will allow modern 2 piece Cranksets to work in a 1-piece bottom bracket. But, I'm unable to figure out how I would go about adding braze ons for both the bottle cages (mine are currently hose clamped on) and for a rack (not sure if braze ons is the term for it all, I know there are also eyelets needed). I'd also like to figure out how to mount something like Shimano Sora or Deore derailleurs. And possibly even disc brakes for better stopping power. I also need to figure out what size wheels I can put on, or if I'm stuck with 26 x 1 3/8 (which wouldn't bother me too much, they ride pretty well and aren't too small for me to worry about really bad potholes). I'd also like to know if I can put a different stem and headset on (see pictures, I can't really explain well). I havent' decided if I wanna stick with drop handlebars or go to flats, but, that's small right now. Anyways...
Any and all help would be greatly appreciated in figuring this out.
GR
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